Diagnosis with a heart condition in October looked to have ended his year, so it is great to have the Irish international back and on the bench for the final Pool game of this year’s Heineken Cup.
All Leinster need is a point at the RDS tomorrow night to book their place in the knock-out phase, but they need a win to be in with any shot of a home quarter-final.
With that in mind, coach Matt O’Connor has picked a strong team, with a formidable front three of Cian Healy, Sean Cronin and Martin Moore. Mike Ross and Jack McGrath drop to the bench, where they will be joined by Richardt Strauss, who has completed a remarkable return from a heart condition to be fit to play again.
There are more changes on the back row as Rhys Ruddock and Shane Jennings come in for Kevin McLaughlin and Jordi Murphy. The backs remain the same as the ones who started in Castres last week.
With the return of Strauss, and the re-signing of Sean O’Brien today, the mood in the Leinster camp should be buoyant for the visit of their Welsh rivals. Even a five-point haul may not be enough for a home quarter-final but it looks like Leinster will try and keep their end of the bargain at least.
Leinster team to play Ospreys:
15: Rob Kearney
14: Dave Kearney
13: Brian O’Driscoll
12: Gordon D’Arcy
11: Luke Fitzgerald
10: Jimmy Gopperth
9: Eoin Reddan
1: Cian Healy
2: Sean Cronin
3: Martin Moore
4: Devin Toner
5: Mike McCarthy
6: Rhys Ruddock
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip CAPTAIN
REPLACEMENTS:
16: Richardt Strauss
17: Jack McGrath
18: Mike Ross
19: Leo Cullen
20: Jordi Murphy
21: Isaac Boss
22: Ian Madigan
23: Zane Kirchner
Don’t forget to get involved with the Heineken Star Predictor ‘Get in The Game’ where you can put your rugby knowledge to the test by predicting the outcome of this weekend’s games. The top prize is a pair of VIP tickets to the 2014 Heineken Cup Final in Cardiff and there are other prizes to be won throughout the season.Click here to start predicting.
